LOS ANGELES — Kenta Maeda is the latest pitcher to draw the short straw in the Dodgers’ quest to forge a five-man rotation out of six starting pitchers.

Maeda, 4-3 with a 5.16 ERA, will make his first long relief appearance either Friday or Saturday against the Cincinnati Reds, Manager Dave Roberts said.

“This is not temporary for Kenta,” Roberts said. “We need him to get back on track, get some momentum. I don’t know what day he’s going to pitch but he’s open to it, and it’s a credit to him as a teammate.”

Maeda labored through four inefficient innings in his most recent start Sunday in Milwaukee, throwing 92 pitches. It was his second consecutive four-inning start.

Maeda’s demotion was not one of necessity. The Dodgers had an opportunity to win, and Maeda was healthy enough to pitch into the fifth inning, in each game. Mostly, it was a credit to Hyun-Jin Ryu.

When left-hander Alex Wood went on the disabled list May 27, Ryu stepped back into the starting rotation. The left-hander allowed one run in six innings in his first spot start in St. Louis. On Monday, Ryu completed seven innings for the first time since 2014.

The Dodgers had hesitated to move Ryu into a bullpen role. He missed most of the past two seasons with shoulder problems and possesses the most delicate between-starts routine on the staff.

“Because of Ryu’s injury history,” Roberts said, “it was a little more difficult for us to navigate his routine.”

The Dodgers will not ignore Maeda’s routine. The right-hander threw a bullpen session Tuesday. To keep him on some semblance of a schedule, Maeda will piggyback either Rich Hill on Friday or Wood on Saturday, Roberts said.

Ryu, 2-6 with a 4.08 ERA, will start Sunday.

Maeda hasn’t made a relief appearance since 2008, his rookie year in Japan. The Dodgers signed him to an eight-year contract in January 2016. Last year, Maeda went 16-11 with a 3.48 ERA. He led the Dodgers in starts (32) and finished third in National League Rookie of the Year voting.

TURNER NEARS RETURN

Justin Turner declared himself all but ready to return to the Dodgers after participating in a simulated game Wednesday morning at Dodger Stadium.

“It all depends on how I feel tomorrow,” Turner said. “It’s about how you recover from it at this point. After that, I feel like I’d be fine to go.”

Turner has been on the disabled list since May 19 with a strained right hamstring. The injury hasn’t been an issue this week, he said.

The third baseman appeared in a rehab game Monday in Rancho Cucamonga. The Dodgers’ Class-A affiliate did not play Wednesday, so the Dodgers flew Double-A pitcher Tim Shibuya in from Arkansas to pitch the simulated game to Turner and Joc Pederson.

The Dodgers have a day off Thursday. Turner figures to return Friday against Cincinnati.

PEDERSON REHAB ASSIGNMENT LOOMS

Pederson remains on track to begin a minor league rehab assignment Friday. Pederson is expected to report to Triple-A Oklahoma City, where Roberts said the center fielder will play every other day, at least at first.

Pederson was injured in a collision with teammate Yasiel Puig and the outfield wall May 24. In addition to the concussion, Pederson has been dealing with limited mobility in his neck when he turns his head to the right.

ALSO

The Dodgers activated right-handed pitcher Brock Stewart from the 60-day disabled list and optioned him to Triple-A Oklahoma City. To make room for Stewart on the 40-man roster, pitcher Chris Heston was placed on waivers and subsequently claimed by the Minnesota Twins.

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